We desperately need you help to make a difference in East Riding

On Wednesday 13th November 2013, Councillors of the East Riding Planning Committee will vote on the future of countless beagles at a breeding farm in Grimston, Holderness. They will decide whether to approve or reject an application by Bantin and Kingman Universal Limited (B&K) which would allow them to construct a facility to breed and supply dogs for cruel experiments by the research industry.

We urgently need your help to convince them to reject the application. As a local resident, you have the power to persuade your local Councillors to do the right thing and reject the application.

Please write polite letters to your local Councillors today.
We have drafted a letter for you to use below, but it is always more effective to add in your own personal message. Please be polite and stress that the Council would be acting unlawfully if they accept the proposal, and that they could face legal proceedings.

Draft letter

Dear Councillor,

You will be aware that a special Planning Committee meeting has been called for Wednesday 13th November to discuss planning application 13/03245/STLBC (and related applications) submitted by B and K Universal Limited (B&K).

I urge you to vote against these proposals, which would be unlawful and may result in a costly legal challenge being brought against the Council.

The legality of the application hinges on European Directive 2010/63/EU which came into force in the UK earlier this year. The Directive states that outdoor runs must be provided for dogs. The proposals submitted include no such runs, because they would create a noise nuisance for neighbours.

In the report on the application, Planning Officers state that the Directive “is a piece of non-planning legislation and it need not be taken into account in reaching a decision on this application.” However, in a recent report on the application for a megadairy in Powys the Planning Inspectorate said “... I consider that it would nonetheless be iniquitous to grant planning permission for a development that, even with conditions attached, would be inherently bound to breach other statutory provisions and so [the] case will be considered on this basis.”

There are also obvious ethical issues relating to animal experiments generally, but I am aware that these cannot be formally considered at this stage. You will be aware that a detailed submission outlining the legal and other arguments for rejecting the application has been made by the BUAV.

I hope that you will listen to the strength of local feeling against these plans and vote against all four proposals on Wednesday.

Thank you for taking action to save countless beagles from being born into a life of misery at Grimston.

Other actions you can take:

On Monday 11 November we will be holding a short public meeting at 6pm at Armstrong Sports and Social Club in Beverley. Please come and hear Dr Nick Palmer, BUAV Director of Policy, talk about why the beagle breeding farm must not be approved. We need to move fast to save countless beagles from a life of misery, and we do hope you’ll join us.

Get involved in the Our Best Friends campaign to save dogs and cats from laboratories – www.ourbestfriends.org

Background

In January 2012, plans by the same company on the same site for the same purpose were rejected by the Secretary of State Eric Pickles MP after public outcry at the news, which saw Brian May and Ricky Gervais join the BUAV to campaign for the application to be rejected.

However, a new application is now being recommended for approval by unelected Planning Officers and the BUAV is concerned that the Planning Committee will approve the controversial plans. The BUAV’s legal experts advise that approval would be unlawful due to a recent change in the animal experiments law requiring dogs to be provided with outside runs. B&K are proposing to keep the dogs permanently caged, so if approved the BUAV believes the Council would be acting unlawfully, and a legal challenge could follow as a result.